World Order
by YarningChick
Summary: What if Haru's ability to talk to cats was just the tip of the iceberg?
1. The Human's Story

Extra

The idea for this fan fiction has been generously donated by FairyMei33. Lots of love!

Chapter One: The Human's Story

_The sun slowly sank into the sea, lighting it on fire. A young girl sat in her mother's lap, watching with amazement._

"_It's so pretty, Mommy!"_

_The redheaded woman laughed softly, and embraced her daughter as the young man next to her smiled thinly._

"_I've never been fond of the sun, but I admit that watching it set is a sight to behold. Haru; come here."_

_The tiny brunette pulled an angry face._

"_You forgot the magic word."_

_He chuckled, amused at the three-year-old girl's spunk._

"_Please come sit on my lap, Haru."_

_This time, the little brunette happily hopped off her mother's lap, and held her arms up to the dark man, who gently picked her up and set her on his lap. After a minute or so, the girl shivered._

"_Why are you always so cold, Paul? Do I need to get you a blanket?"_

_He laughed again, and wrapped his arms around the little girl firmly._

"_Why would I need a blanket when I have this nice and warm little companion?"_

_She giggled slightly, but he could tell that she was a little cold. He sighed, and set about the usual task. He kissed her hair softly, and then gently pressed his lips to her little neck._

_Without warning, the little girl suddenly slapped him, outraged._

"_No biting, you meanie! Mommy, Paul bit me! Tell him to be nice, or I won't sit on his lap anymore!"_

_The young mother stared at her dear daughter, shocked beyond words, as was the young man, who was now feeling his cheek with one hand; stunned that it actually hurt, although the little girl was hardly muscular._

"_Haru, apologize for hitting me."_

_She glared at him, and managed to slip out of his arms in order to run back to her mother, keeping one hand to her neck as a little pink began to show between her tiny fingers._

"_Not until you apologize for biting me! I'm not your dinner, so keep your teeth to yourself!"_

_The dark man stared at the young child, scarcely believing that she was disobeying him. Was it possible? He had waited so long…_

_He looked at the mother._

"_Naoko, find a cat or dog, and bring it to me. I want to see if Haru can talk to one."_

_Unlike her child, the woman immediately jumped out of her seat, and started running off. Haru watched her go with horror._

"_No, Mommy! Don't leave me with mean Paul!" She tried to run for her mother, but then Paul ran in front of her, and leaned down in order to gaze into her scared and angry eyes._

'_Yes, I should have seen it sooner. Haru is the one I've been waiting for.'_

"_Haru, if I apologize for biting you, will you apologize for hitting me?"_

_She bit her lip, still distrustful of him._

"_Yes, but only if you never do it again."_

_He laughed, pleased by her spunk._

"_Trust me, Haru; I will never bite you again."_

'_For there is no need to.'_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru's life had always been on the predictable side. An only child, living alone with her mother, in an ordinary neighborhood in Tokyo. Physically, the only thing that ever seemed to change about her was the length of her body, as she continued to grow.

About the only thing that had ever seemed extraordinary about her was the fact that her mother was a little more protective of her than her counterparts. Campfires and pets might as well have been part of a fairy tale, for all the meaning they had for the young brunette.

In fact, the girl had never personally come in contact with an open flame, due to her mother's fears. But oh, how they seemed to reach out for the girl, in small doses in her science class when they had to heat water or chemicals. Sometimes, if Haru could somehow manage to keep everyone quite, she could almost hear the flames speak, though their voice was weak.

'_Beware… beware…'_

As to what she should beware, Haru never had a clue, although she dearly wished to tell someone about the voices, if anyone would bother to listen. If her life had continued the way her mother wished, nothing out of the ordinary would have ever happened to her daughter until she was fully grown.

But then, in her eighteenth year, Haru made a decision that would change her fate to one far from what had been designed for her.

Haru saved a cat from a terrible death, and then fell in love with a very special doll.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I should be back around noon, Mom!" Haru cheerfully said as she walked out the door, her mother barely nodding, looking over fabric swatches.

"Have fun with Hiromi, Sweetie!" As soon as she heard the door close, the red-haired woman smiled, and set down the patch into the design covering the table. She looked at it, wondering if it would tell the story she hoped it would.

Her daughter had grown wonderfully over the past year. Now a high school graduate, she was out of the house more, doing job-hunting with Hiromi, to find a way to pay for college.

Naoko didn't have a clue on what to tell her daughter, when she found a job that felt right. Because it wouldn't matter what the job was, she couldn't keep it. Haru had a different destiny in store for her; one that had been determined years before.

The phone rang, just like she knew it would. Grinning, she picked the device out of its holder.

"Yoshioka residence."

"Hello, Naoko. It's me."

The red-haired woman laughed.

"I figured it would be, Paul. How much is ready?"

"Nearly everything. I assume you'll bring her in a week?"

"Of course. I gave my word that I would."

"Good. Now, I must ask; is Haru still…"

Naoko cocked her head, waiting for him to finish his thought. Too much had changed about her daughter since he had last seen her to just try to assume what he meant.

"You know; crushing on that Machida guy?"

Naoko laughed again.

"Oh no, she got over him almost eight months ago. She's a bit calmer now, more thoughtful. I think she'll please you quite a bit when you see her again." She could hear a sigh of relief.

"That's wonderful. This would be much more difficult, if she were in love with someone else. How much does she know?"

The redhead smiled thinly, having done her best to keep the girl ignorant.

"The stories are just that to her. I've been keeping her away from animals, but she knows she can talk to cats. She doesn't have the slightest clue about what Creations are, or what they mean. Don't worry; she'll be able to do her part, and there's no need to scare her beforehand."


	2. The Impossible Love

Extra

Chapter Two: The Impossible Love

The two best friends stumbled over to a white table, to rest from their long walk. Haru managed to sit in a clear seat, but saw Hiromi try to repeat her own mistake from several months before.

"Don't sit on Muta, Hiromi. That puts him in a bad mood."

"Eh?" The light brunette looked at the cushion she was about to sink into, surprised to see a head appear on the farther side. "Eep, it's a fat cat!"

Haru giggled as her old friend hissed at the girl, but snuck her a wink for stopping her friend. She reached over to scratch his brown ear, making him purr as the other girl took a different seat.

"Sorry, but he just looks so much like a cushion. He seems nice though," Hiromi said as she hesitantly reached over and started petting the soft fur, getting the cat to lean into the soft touch, purring up a storm. Haru smiled softly, knowing that Muta was nice enough underneath his rough manners. The dark brunette sighed sadly.

"I guess it's just as well that I haven't found a job yet. Mom and I are going to Greece again in a few days, and it wouldn't make much sense to ask for a vacation before even starting work."

The other girl sighed enviously.

"It must be so cool; seeing all those old ruins."

"Sometimes it is. Of course, sometimes I get treated to a description of what went on inside them. Not as nice. Trust me; you don't want to know what used to get sacrificed, back in the day." Haru saddened further, thinking about the strange distant relatives she lived with, for a whole month, every year without fail.

Especially Paul. She had a light crush on the family friend, at one point, before getting one on Machida. And a heavier one on Baron. That one hadn't faded yet, making her wonder if it ever would.

"Well, what about boys?" Hiromi suddenly asked. "There have to be some pretty cute ones somewhere."

"Hey, I thought you were after Tsuge!"

"I am, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the scenery."

Haru giggled and shook her head at her best friend.

"There are cute boys everywhere, if you know where to look." Her mind trailed off, still scratching Muta's ear. "The real trick is finding one worth keeping, and then, actually pulling it off."

Muta looked at her, smirking to himself as he felt certain of whom the girl was thinking of. Hiromi's eyes flickered dangerously, and she smiled evilly.

"Spill."

Haru looked up.

"Beg pardon?"

Her friend rolled her eyes.

"Hmm, let's see; first, you stop crushing on Machida for no apparent reason, then you're suddenly on time or even early for everything, you don't talk as much, since you're too busy dreaming, you gained sudden obsessions like tea-making and British movies, and, strangest of all, you haven't provided a real explanation for any of it." Hiromi grabbed the little vase of flowers on the table and carefully pounded it against the white-painted wood like a judge about to pronounce a sentence.

"You, Haru Yoshioka, _are in love_!"

The brunette paled, but couldn't think of any words to say. Her best friend squealed with delight as the fat cat grinned wickedly at the human caressing him, having known the little fact for months.

"Come on; what's he like? Is he hot? Why haven't you ever mentioned him?"

Haru sighed, wondering how much she should tell.

"You remember Wesley from The Princess Bride?"

Hiromi's jaw dropped.

"You're crushing on that actor?"

"No, hear me out; if Wesley had a twin brother that was more of a gentleman than a pirate, he would be close to my crush, hot accent and everything."

Hiromi whistled appreciatively.

"What's his name?"

"It's a bit on the long side, but everyone calls him Baron. He's…" Haru sighed, wondering how to put it. "… also sort of off-limits."

"What, is he older?"

Haru blinked.

"I actually have no idea how old he is." She snuck a peek down at the cat that had moved to her lap. Muta grunted.

"Eighty-three, and still young."

Haru's jaw dropped with disbelief, but then realized that was why he was such an old-fashioned gentleman. Because he had been born in an era where men went around all the time with bow ties, if they were of a high-enough class. Back when chivalry thrived. Dang; she would have pegged him at twenty-five or somewhere around there. Hiromi didn't notice anything strange about the talking cat.

"What's up, Haru?"

"N-nothing much. Uh, would you say that something strange about now?"

The lighter brunette rolled her eyes.

"Besides your mood swings? Not really."

What? Hiromi couldn't hear the large cat talking? Muta smiled at her, and patted one hand.

"Don't worry about it, Chicky. Only a small handful of humans have ever been able to understand us felines." The fat cat hesitated. "Baron's been thinking about you too."

She sighed sadly.

"Don't feed me false hope."

"Haru, what are you talking about?"

The slim brunette gave a final scratch to Muta's ears before standing up.

"I was talking to myself. It doesn't matter how much I like Baron; a relationship like the one I want could never work. And I'm 'just a friend' to him anyway." She stole a glance at her watch, and sighed again.

"I promised Mom I would be home within ten minutes anyway. I'll catch you around?"

Hiromi nodded, as did Muta, although subtly.

"Have fun in Greece, Chicky."

"Thanks."

"Thanks for what?" Hiromi asked as Haru sighed, wishing life wasn't so complicated.

"For listening to me. See you in a few weeks."


	3. The Dog Creation

Extra

Chapter Three: The Dog Creation

Baron stretched, taking a break from his book. In truth, he could probably recite it if he wanted to, but he didn't exactly have a lot of things to do.

He had finished building all the houses in the Refuge a decade before (in an attempt to keep boredom at bay), and his Bureau didn't have too many clients anymore. But as long as one person needed his help, the Cat Creation would keep his office open.

But, he honestly hoped for something exciting to happen again. Although he didn't tell Haru so, he'd had a lot of fun at the Cat Kingdom too. Just how many chances had he had over the eighty-odd years of his life to show off for a fetching young lady, never mind her species?

A grand total of one. And that was Haru. Her crush on him wasn't all that surprising; he doubted that too many men had half the skills he did anymore. He was fairly shut off from the world, but he could tell that both genders were fully expected to be one thing and one thing alone. They were either athletes, dancers, philosophers or something else completely. Perhaps the current age believed that people couldn't handle more than one focus. Perhaps that was why there was so much pain and strife. If people were only more willing to branch out…

A firm knocking assailed his door. Slightly surprised, since everyone he knew either just entered or came through the window, he marked the place in his book and walked over to answer the door.

He fought the urge to jump back, his feline instincts crying out against the one on his doorstep. But, since the young dog didn't seem to want trouble, he smiled at her. A slight shifting on the edge of his vision revealed her identity, making him grin wider.

"Please come in. It's quite a pleasure to see another Creation in the Refuge. I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen."

The slim black canine smiled back at him, and made herself comfortable on his couch as he got her a cup of tea.

"My name is Nefertia. I've been collecting dust inside a museum in America for the past fifty years, after leaving Egypt. I'd still be there, if I hadn't been keeping an eye on the stars. Have you also been keeping an eye on them?"

Baron shifted uncomfortably.

"I haven't. It just seems so pointless, without all the players."

The canine shook her head, disappointed at his lack of vigilance as she sampled the special blend.

"The time is nearly at hand. I have seen the crow outside; where are the other two?"

Baron sighed again.

"I don't know. Are you certain it's nearly time?"

"Yes. We'll have to move fast. I can already feel the earth beginning to groan underneath my feet."

He chuckled lightly.

"Well, earth _is _your element, after all." He couldn't really tell through his element, as he was usually far from plants of any kind, at least while they were still growing. The daffodils on his windowsill were always silent, having been cut.

Muta opened the door, and came in.

"No one again, Baron. I saw Haru, though." He stopped fast, staring at the dog. She grinned at him.

"Don't worry; I've never been fond of chasing cats. I was made to be more proper than that."

Baron smiled, thinking about the journey they would have to go through in order to make the deadline.

"Muta, this is Nefertia, the Dog Kingdom representative. We need to find the human and reptile representative before…" he looked at her, wondering how much time they had to work with.

"Thirteen days," she informed him. He nodded, wondering how he was going to find the last two Creations. Although they were born with the knowledge of how to reach the Refuge, Creations were under no pressure to actually find the Refuge.

"What happens in thirteen days?" the white cat asked curiously as the Dog Creation stood up and brushed herself off.

"The doom of the world, if we don't make the deadline."

Baron's mind suddenly took a sharp turn away from his true duty.

"You say you saw Haru? How is she?"

Muta grinned, understanding his concern.

"Doing good; about to take a trip to Greece soon. She says she'll be back in another month."

Nefertia tilted her head to one side.

"Who's Haru?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The slim brunette softly closed her door, and floated onto her bed, glad for a few minutes of rest. She collapsed, and was soundly out cold in another second.

As she faded from the real world, she found herself _once again in a royal banquet hall, in a far off kingdom. An orange cat with hands was guiding her smoothly across the dance floor, somehow knowing exactly what to do in order to transform a clumsy duckling into a graceful swan._

"_Never stop believing in yourself, Haru," Baron whispered into her large and velvety ear. Her knees went weak from his accent._

"_Baron, I think I'm in love with you."_

_He smiled warmly, and leaned forward to kiss her. Happily, she stepped up as much as she could, and directed her face towards his. _

_But at an inch away, he suddenly stopped, and released her._

"_Haru, this can never be. Even if you had chosen to stay a cat, I am still an immortal, and you are not. I'm sorry."_

_She reached out to him, trying not to cry._

"_But, can't we have a little time together?"_

_He shook his head as soft tears trailed from behind his mask._

"_If I did, it would ensure my own death. I have duties, Haru; ones that I can't walk away from, as much as I would like to. I'm so sorry for leading you on like this; forgive and forget about me. Find a normal human boy; marry him, raise a few children, and live a happy life together."_

_Haru fell to her knees, and started weeping into her paws._

"_But, I don't __**want**__ to forget about you, Baron. Who could ever measure up to you?"_

_He stared at her, wishing for the words to come out, but they stuck in his throat like a bad jelly. He sighed, the action close to tears._

"_Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Haru, believe me when I say if I could, I would gladly give up eternity to be with you. Oh, Haru…"_


	4. The Request

Extra

Chapter Four: The Request

"Haru," a voice said softly, now devoid of all sorrow. The brunette smiled and shifted as sleep fled; recognizing the sexy voice that usually haunted her dreams.

"Mmm, yes, Baron?"

"Please finish waking up. I have a new friend that wants to meet you."

Realizing that he really was behind her, she shot up, and looked through her window. Seeing the Cat Creation with an elegant-looking black dog, she was glad that she didn't say anything more embarrassing in her semi-conscious state. Grinning, she unhooked the latch and opened the window wide. Baron, Toto, Muta, and the sweet dog jumped through and landed on her bed. Baron smiled widely at the brunette as he tipped his hat.

"Haru, this is Nefertia, another Creation."

The brunette grinned at the elegant dog before bowing.

"Nice to meet you, Nefertia. Just how many Creations are there?"

"Five. Or at least there should be; we need five."

Haru cocked her head at Baron, who smiled again.

"That's partially why we're here. We're hoping that you can help us find the last two Creations."

"Why do you need five?"

Nefertia sat down, staring at her.

"There's an old prophecy concerning our kind, Miss Haru. It'd take a bit long to explain it completely, but suffice it to say, we need two more Creations. With Toto, we have the representatives of the Cat, Bird, and Dog Kingdoms, but we need one from the Reptile Kingdom and the Human Kingdom. And we need them quick."

Haru blinked, and thought about it. Well, she _had _noticed that something was special about Baron before his light show, so maybe she could find something.

"I'm not sure how much I can do, but it couldn't hurt to try." She reached over to her desk and pulled her laptop over. She opened it up, and started surfing the internet. "Both will probably be pretty old, and several years put into making both. Hmm."

Realizing that this could take a while, Baron sat down on her quilt and placed his top hat aside.

"Muta said you'd be leaving for Greece fairly quickly."

"Yeah, to visit my mom's family. Her mom was Greek, and the old family likes having us drop by at least once a year." Her hands stopped flying across the keyboard, and she looked at the Creations. Her eyes were slightly cloudy.

"I'm not sure if this will help, but I _do_ know an old Greek myth about a marble statue coming to life."

Toto cocked his head at her.

"By all means, tell us about it."

Haru sighed, still tapping away at her keyboard.

"Okay, there was this sculptor named Pygmalion. He didn't like women much, since he thought they were all selfish and terrible, and had long decided that he would never get married. One day, he started carving a special statue. The more he worked on it, the more the statue consumed him. When he was finally done, the marble was carved into a beautiful young maiden. He had poured so much effort and heart into her that he fell in love with her. He treated her like she was alive, and asked Aphrodite, the goddess of love, to give her life. She did, and Pygmalion married his own statue."

Nefertia gaped in shock.

"Such a union is forbidden! If the Creation truly did that, then she would have died when her husband did."

Haru sighed, remembering her sad dream all too vividly.

"I guess the story's useless then, since it's a few thousand years old. I can think of a few other stories about Human Creations, but I'm guessing the two about girls making husbands out of sweets won't do any good. There's a German tale about a wooden puppet named Pinnochio," she offered. Muta shook his head.

"That one's no good, since Baron's from Germany. It'll have to be from someplace besides America, Africa, and Europe. Toto, Nefertia, and Baron already represent those areas."

She rolled her eyes at the fat cat.

"I wish you had told me that earlier." Her eyes locked once more on the screen, her fingers dancing like mad on the keyboard. Baron watched her, a small needle of sadness pricking his heart.

'_Forbidden…'_

"Haru, dinner time!"

The young lady's head shot up.

"Be right down, Mom!" Clicking a final button, the human girl gently placed the laptop on the bed. "Here's a promising lead," she whispered, sending nervous glances at her door. "I better go before she comes in and finds all of you in here."

Baron nodded; his eyes full of respect.

"Thank you for at least trying, Haru."

She blushed lightly, and smiled back at him before disappearing through the door. He walked around the laptop to look at the article, Nefertia studying him and his actions carefully.

"You _did _hear the forbidden part, right, Baron?"

"Very clearly. Let's get to work." He glanced at the photograph at the top, his eyes shifting slightly again. Toto shifted as well, to see the screen, and grinned widely.

"Bull's eye."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Naoko looked over at her young daughter, who seemed more distracted than ever before.

"Haru, is something troubling you?"

The brunette looked up, startled out of her world; rearranging the rice grains on her plate.

"What?"

The red-haired woman looked at her, concern present.

"Sweetheart, you've barely eaten anything. Are you that worried about a job?"

Haru relaxed a little, and laughed.

"No, I'll find something. But you're right; I'll wait to worry about a job until after the trip. I was actually thinking about that story you used to tell me."

"Which one?"

"About the statue that turned into a living girl."

Naoko's heart froze over.

'_No! It's too soon to tell her about that!'_

"What was her name?"

Her mother blinked dumbly.

"Huh?"

"You mentioned that her maker's name was Pygmalion, but what was hers?"

She shook her head.

"I honestly don't know. She was never named, in the original myth. Why do you want to know?"

Haru, saddened, started picking at her dinner again.

"It just doesn't seem fair, that he gets a name, and she doesn't."

Certain that the coast was clear, Naoko ate her sushi.

"Mom? Just out of curiosity, do you know any other stories about humans born from other materials? I already know about the candy husbands and Pinocchio, but were there any other stories?"

"Um, not that I'm aware of. Haru, why are you suddenly so interested in this?"

Her daughter shrugged, and ate her dinner.

"I don't know. I've been thinking about writing my own version of the myth, and stories like it. They're pretty fascinating, wouldn't you say, Mom?"

Naoko grinned at her daughter, satisfied that Haru was still in the dark.

"I'd say they're pretty interesting."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru kissed her mother's cheek before running up to her room. She opened the door, and smiled sadly; not really expecting her friends to still be on her bed. But she could hope.

Her laptop was closed, and the brunette could see a small folded piece of paper on her pillow. With her heart beating in her ears, she reached for the paper, and unfolded it; carefully reading the tiny calligraphy.

_Dear H, _

_Thank you for your assistance. The article you had so kindly found for us was definitely about one of the Creations we're looking for. Nefertia says she knows a way of finding out if your myth has any use to us and we're leaving today in order to get to the next Creation while we have time._

_You have no idea, how much good you've done us, Haru. After all this is taken care of, I promise to fully explain what we're up to. I knew we could count on you to make this possible._

_Thank you for being your wonderful self._

_Kindest personal regards, _

_B_

Haru smiled happily at the praise, falling asleep with the beautiful calligraphy pressed against her heart.


	5. The Reptile Creation

Extra

Chapter Five: The Reptile Creation

"Haru! Are you ready yet?!"

The young brunette finished zipping her duffel bag, and slung her computer one over her shoulder.

"Be right down, Mom!" The young woman walked out her bedroom door, carefully maneuvered her way down the stairs, and eased her shoes on before going through the door her mother was holding open for her, before locking the house tight.

Haru headed down to the taxi, and handed her luggage to the driver, who carefully placed her items in the trunk while the girls settled themselves into the back seat. Naoko was nearly fidgeting, she was so glad to go back to her beloved Greece. Haru sighed, knowing how important the trips were to her mother. But as the taxi eased away from the sidewalk and down the maze of streets to the airport, she couldn't help but wish that the taxi was taking her to the Refuge instead.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The sun had set hours ago, and the night was waxing old. High, in the oldest museum to be found in all of China, four figures lurked, watching and waiting.

Muta went out first, to see if the coast was clear. He strolled lazily, and gave a big yawn as his eyes took in everything. He meowed loudly, making his companions carefully follow the large feline.

Getting inside the museum posed little problem, since Toto and Muta were forced to wait outside, since they were too big to slip between all the security devices that the owners had put around the precious treasure, as well as all of the night security.

Haru's article had been about a salamander made of a solid piece of pure crystal, which had taken fifty years of the maker's life to carve, using only crude tools. It was a rare treasure, and the photograph in the article confirmed that the reptile was a Creation.

There, at the heart of the museum, surrounded by plenty of security lights, was the treasure. Thin red lights ran at the carefully carved crystal, to ensure that the salamander wouldn't be taken without everything going off.

Baron walked underneath the velvet rope in order to get closer to the pedestal as Nefertia finished shutting off all the security cameras.

"We know you're aware of us," the dark dog said softly. "It's safe to shift."

The Creation chose to wait another minute. The clear skin glowed green, and the salamander began to move around a little. Her dark eyes opened, and warmed at seeing them.

"Thank heaven! I was praying that you would come soon! These people won't let me go!"

Baron smiled warmly at her, wondering how to deflect the red lights without setting off the alarm.

"I take it you've been watching the stars?"

She pointed to her sky window with her tail, which was heavily grated so that no human could pass through.

"I'm Fa Lilu by the way, or just Lilu. Do we have all five now?"

The dark dog approached; a flashlight in her paw.

"No, we need one more," she said as she handed the bulky flashlight to Baron, and gestured for him to get on her back. He did so, very carefully passing the flashlight to the slim salamander, who carefully placed it next to her, on her usual place. She was delicate enough to cling to the cat figurine's back as he climbed off of Nefertia's. The alarm didn't go off.

They had a little more difficulty getting back out of the museum, now that they were three instead of two, but Nefertia and Lilu had plenty of experience with museum security, and Baron was naturally careful.

The trio managed to get out, partially because Muta and Toto had started a wordless fight to distract the outside guards until they slipped past into the green zone.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Toto found them first, hiding next to a street fountain. Muta managed to stumble up to them a few minutes later, completely exhausted as introductions were made.

"So all we need now is the human representative?" Lilu concluded. They all nodded at her.

"Baron's human had a myth that rang of truth, so we need to go to Greece next, to see what can be done," Nefertia concluded.

The white salamander looked at the orange cat.

"Is this human your owner?"

Toto and Muta struggled to contain their mirth. Baron glared at them, fighting back a blush.

"Not quite. She's a friend of mine. With how much time that's elapsed, we may even see her in Greece."

"She wouldn't mind being Baron's human though," Muta cackled evilly, making the Cat Creation blush harder. Nefertia waved one paw.

"Please! We don't have time for such foolishness. There is still much to do."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Naoko and Haru boarded the large plane, and eased into their seats. Haru had gotten the window seat, which was fine by her mother, who was easily spooked by heights. The brunette half-listened as the attendant made the usual announcements and warnings associated with flying, and then sat down so the plane could take off. As the plane began to move around the airport, and picked up speed, Haru kept her eyes out the window, waiting for the adrenaline rush. She slammed slightly against her seat as the plane lifted off the ground, and sailed into the air.

'_I was higher still, when I left the Cat Kingdom. I wonder how Lune and Yuki are doing.' _Haru sighed knowing that they were a part of her past, and that they would stay that way. But, for some reason, she was actually hoping that something strange and wonderful would happen to her again, just so she would have the excuse to talk to Baron again.

But she was fully aware that she probably wouldn't see him again for weeks, if not years; a fact that weighed heavily in her heart.

"_Beware."_

Haru's head shot up.

"What?" she asked softly as her mother looked at her.

"_Beware, child of promise. Beware the monster-"_

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't allow smoking on this flight," an attendant said politely. The man two seats ahead of the Yoshioka girls grumbled, and put out his lighter. Naoko looked at her daughter with alarm.

"Is something wrong, Haru?"

The dark brunette was silent for a moment, and then sighed.

"I wish I knew."


	6. The Family

Extra

Chapter Six: The Family

Naoko looked at her daughter lovingly before nudging her shoulder.

"Honey; we're here."

Haru blinked a few times, yawning while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"One thing I hate about these trips is the jet lag."

The red-haired woman smiled warmly; knowing that it would be the last time Haru would ever have to worry about such a thing. She stood up from her seat on the cramped plane and stretched.

"Come on, sweetheart; they're probably waiting for us."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Surprise!" A small group of people called out as mother and daughter stepped through the last door into the airport. Haru bit back a laugh, seeing that the entire family was there to greet her. She grinned as her mother came towards them first and started collecting as many hugs as possible. Shaking her head a bit, she calmly walked toward them and tried to shake Aunt Anita's hand.

She wouldn't hear of it, however. The silvery-haired woman grabbed the offered hand and pulled the girl close in a rib-cracking hug.

"Why did you cut your hair, dear?!" she cried out in dismay, fingering the short locks. Haru shrugged.

"I thought it was time for a new hairstyle." She felt a hand tap her shoulder. The brunette turned to see a young man, holding out a red rose to her. He grinned warmly, his dark eyes dancing.

"I like this one, but I think longer hair suited you better."

She smiled and took the rose; Paul's usual greeting to her. She tucked the offering behind one ear and stuck out her hand.

"Maybe, but you're not the one that has to wear it. How have you been?"

He took the hand, but kissed it instead of shaking it. Despite the usual gentlemanly manners he always displayed for the brunette, her heart didn't react at all.

"Bored out of my skull. I've been looking forward to seeing you again."

She smiled politely, trying not to give him a reason to hope for the impossible.

"And it's good seeing all of you again." _'I wonder how the Creations are doing. Will they be able to find me, if they need my help again?'_

Paul twitched slightly, obviously hoping for something a little more intimate than what she had given. He smiled, glad to at least have some time to work with her, and that no one held her heart.

For he knew that she wouldn't return to Japan for a very long time, if he had anything to say about it. The dark youth had hoped that she could be raised close by, but since the sign had been given that a representative had been born in Europe, Haru had to be raised in an area unrepresented, and that the neighbors would have noticed his strange habits if he had stayed close to the girl. He smiled warmly as the various men in the family started grabbing the Yoshioka girls' luggage.

He truly did like her hair better when it was long. But that's all right; he knew how to fix it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru unzipped her computer bag, and hooked the mechanical device into the wall so it could start charging. She knew it would probably be a bad idea to check on the Salamander of the Yangtze River so quickly, but she was dying to know if her friends had rescued the Reptile Creation yet. She started putting away her clothes in the fancy dresser in her room of the family manor.

A polite knocking assailed her door. Haru zipped up her bag so no one would see her personals.

"Who is it?"

"Your mother," came the answer as said person came in, knowing that her daughter didn't have any surprises for her. The woman embraced her daughter again. "I just love coming here. It feels like home, doesn't it sweetheart?"

"Yeah, sure." In truth, she felt most at home at the Refuge, but she wasn't about to tell her mother that.

"Paul said he wanted to show you around the city later. I mentioned your fascination with the Pygmalion myth, and he knows some things that might help you with that story."

The myth was useless to her now, but the brunette put on a happy face to throw off suspicion.

"Great. How many are coming?"

Her mother smiled deeply.

"It'll be just you and Paul."

Something about the way she said it set her daughter on edge.

"But, surely someone else will want to come. What about you?"

"Oh no. I have too much catching up to do with my cousins. Besides, I'm sure you'll have more fun with just Paul."

Haru looked into her mother's eyes, suddenly understanding.

"Mom, are you trying to hook me up with Paul?" The question sounded more like a statement, since they both knew what the answer would be. Naoko looked surprised at her lack of enthusiasm.

"Honey, he's a sweet guy that can provide for you, and he's been smitten by you for years. I thought you knew this would be coming, now that you're eighteen. Paul's been very patient, waiting for you to grow up."

Haru took a step away from her mother's arms, and started unpacking again. Her silence worried the redhead.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? You used to like him like that."

"Just like I used to like Machida." The bag now empty, she slipped it underneath the bed so she could sit down. "But there's a difference between 'used to' and 'do'."

Naoko looked at her daughter, a fear starting to grow in her heart. She knelt in front of her so she could hold her daughter's face.

"Is there someone else?"

The brunette opened her mouth to speak. She tried to talk, but settled for nodding her head. The fear began to grow inside Naoko, faster than a tidal wave.

"Who is he?! Why didn't you mention him earlier, or bring him by?!"

"Because you weren't supportive of my crush on Machida, and I know you wouldn't like him. He's… unique."

"How _unique_?!"

Haru's eyes faded, lost in a forest of memories from which she didn't want to escape.

"Mom, he made me dance. Really dance, with grace. I feel safe around him, and he inspires me to stretch beyond my limits. He's wonderful."


	7. The Manipulation

Extra

Chapter Seven: The Manipulation

Paul fought the urge to slam his fist into the wall he had been listening through; certain that such an action would attract the girl's attention. The naked _yearning_ in her voice…

"You didn't tell him how you felt, did you?" Naoko asked, clearly scared.

"Actually, I did. That's how brave he makes me."

"Well, what did he say?"

There was silence for a solid minute. Paul leaned closer, praying to hear something good. For him at least.

"He said that he admired a young woman that spoke from the heart. From him, that would translate into 'I like you.'"

Naoko sighed heavily with relief.

"But if he said it like that, then he doesn't like you back the way you like him."

"Why don't you rub a little more lemon juice into the wound, Mom? It's hurting enough." The bed squeaked, like Haru had gotten off it. "He likes me as a friend, and I like him on a deeper level than that, and we are both aware of the fact. That's pretty much where we stand."

"But, if he likes you as a friend alone, why not give Paul a chance? He'd be good for you."

"Maybe, but my heart is set on someone else. It wouldn't be fair to either of us, if I did give him a chance."

"Haru," her mother said firmly. "You can't spend the rest of your life swooning over someone that sees you as a friend. You have to think about your future. Wouldn't you like to be a wife and mother? We both know your heart isn't truly set on college."

"Mom, can I be alone right now?"

"Haru, if you don't give Paul a chance, you could be alone for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?"

"Of course not-"

"Good. Paul will drop by at around ten tomorrow morning for your date." Naoko walked out of the door and shut it before her daughter could protest. The mother and would-be suitor locked eyes. Her fear was more apparent than ever. He smiled angrily, pleased that she had argued his case so strongly.

"You did well," he whispered, as they walked down the hall. "We'd better give her time to think about this."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru grabbed her pillow and screamed into it, trying to keep her frustration out of everyone else's business.

'_I don't want to be alone, but I don't want to get forced into a courtship again either.'_

With a start, she remembered her dream. Baron had pleaded with her to find a nice young man and start a family. Was that what he really wanted from her? To forget that he existed? No, such a thing was surely beyond her power.

'_If I ever __**did**__ get married, I'd want the guy to be something close to what Baron's like. But would that be fair to the guy, to marry him because he reminds me of the one I really want?' _

What a tangled web, indeed. In either case, it looked like she had a date with Paul in the morning. Maybe she _should_ give him a chance…

Finished with her screaming, she pulled her laptop over and looked up the salamander from before. This time, she got five times as many hits on it, many of them being news clippings.

'_Upon yesterday morning, it was discovered that the Salamander of the Yangtze River has been stolen. How this has been executed is still in question, as none of the guards saw anything unusual, except for a few scattered reports of a fight between a black bird and an obese white cat in front of the Jade Museum building. No footage was found to confirm how the theft was executed. Authorities are still looking for clues.'_

She giggled and smiled warmly, glad that her friends were successful. She started surfing the web again, trying to find the Human Creation, just in case there was enough time for them to ask for her help again.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Lilu looked at her map, to confirm the location.

"Yep, this one's the right temple." She was riding on Toto's back, along with Baron and Nefertia, who was luckily a slim dog. Muta dangled from the crow's claws as they made a landing at the back of the stone structure.

"Are you sure? It looks like all the other piles of rubble."

Lilu nodded confidently, folding her map away.

"We have three days left, so we better get cracking."

They started slipping between the boulders, to get closer at the altar, which was cracked and worn. They stopped dead in their tracks, hearing humans closing in on them, luckily on foot, so they could hide.

"… and he kneeled at that altar, that exact same altar, and begged for his creation to be given life."

Toto started flying higher to avoid suspicion, and the others crowded in on the other side of the substantial altar, praying that whoever it was wouldn't want to see the other side. Another person sighed, making Baron's ears flick in recognition. Muta started grinning evilly at the Cat Creation, also knowing who was there.

"Aphrodite, hearing his earnest prayer, became touched, and decided to grant his wish. When he arrived home that night, he kissed her lips as he usually did; surprised to find them warm and soft. Before his eyes, his work of art became a living maiden, one with whom he would share the rest of his life with. I know the story, Paul, but do you know the girl's name?"

"Afraid not. You'll have to make up one for her, in your story. Why not give her your name?"

"Because it's a Greek myth, and 'Haru' isn't Greek. Maybe 'Daphne' or 'Galatea'."

Baron frowned; wondering what the man was doing with the brunette, especially at this place.

"I bet she looked something like you."

"And I bet that you're a giant flirt."

"Guilty as charged." The man gave a sigh. "Come on; what does this other guy have that I don't?"

Baron leaned a little closer to the edge, making Nefertia shake her head at him angrily, but he didn't notice.

"A really hot accent? A wicked way with a cane? Cool dance moves?"

"Hey, I can dance!"

"But can you make me dance well at the same time?" The brunette said it more like a statement, since she and the man already knew the answer.


	8. The Enforced Fate In Theory

Extra

Chapter Eight: The Enforced Fate… In Theory

Baron took great pleasure from the young man's silence at the girl's inquiry. She had told him that she was a 'meowsy' dancer during their adventure at the kingdom, and he suspected that she needed just a little push in the right direction, but was nonetheless pleased that his little discovery had been one of a kind.

Haru suddenly yelped, the direction of her voice rapidly changing. Despite Nefertia's frantic gestures, Baron braved a look to see what was happening.

A handsome young man was trying to dance with Haru, but he hadn't made the link with her. He was just picking her up and swinging her around.

"There, now I am."

Haru shook her head and tried to pry his hands off her waist.

"That's not what I meant. I was talking about a waltz."

He stared at her, still suspended in the air.

"When could you have had the opportunity to waltz with some guy that your mother never knew about?"

She turned pink.

"She was out of town for a quilting convention. She never even knew I was missing."

The man growled, setting her down.

"Her first duty is to you. Tell me what happened!"

She stiffened, a little miffed at the order.

"Those memories are very precious to me, and nothing indecent happened. That's all you need to know."

He growled, turning from her. Suddenly, he slammed her into a crumbling wall, holding her there by the shoulders as she cried out; the lizard and canine were now being forced to hold down the feline while covering his mouth so that he wouldn't come to her rescue and blow their cover.

"I didn't want to tell you this, but we're engaged. We have been since you were a kid. Now tell me; what happened?!"

Haru was motionless, and Baron couldn't see her face. His blood boiled, seeing the strange man being so harsh with the girl. _Engaged?! __**His **__Haru?!_

Moving faster than even the Cat Creation thought she was capable of, the brunette's hands came up and slammed into the man's chest hard enough to land him on his back. Her eyes seemed to glow with an inner fire.

"_Engaged_?" she whispered, her eyes getting angrier than ever. "You've known for years, and you never thought to tell me before now?" Her fists started shaking as the boy sat up, sorely feeling the back of his head.

"That's right! I was hoping that you would learn to love me without the commitment, but you're old enough for marriage now. Your fate was decided years ago, and that's not even the biggest part. Haru, you're-"

Her fist cut him off, soundly colliding with his jaw. His eyes glazed over, and he fell unconscious.

"No one, and no one, decides _my_ fate but me," Haru hissed at him as he fell over. She turned and started pounding the stone wall with her fists, although it hurt her slightly. "Engaged since I was a kid, and no one thought to tell me?! And he expected me to go through with it like a meek little lamb?!" Why hadn't her mother told her any of this?! No wonder she hated all possible boy-friends except Paul.

She no longer cared. If Haru would ever get into a relationship again, it would be her choice, and no one else's. Except maybe the guy in question; that was pretty important.

A warm chuckle bordering on a purr met her ears, one that she knew immediately, although she had never heard it before. She turned toward the altar, stunned to see Baron, Muta, Nefertia, and the crystal salamander she had found over the internet standing next to it. Baron tipped his hat at her, his glowing eyes appreciative.

"I believe you have firmly disillusioned him from that belief, Haru. I must say, the rogue was asking for it."

She managed a warm smile for him, and walked over to the altar so she could kneel down and shake hands with the salamander, who introduced herself politely. But the human was careful not to touch the altar.

"Yeah, he was, but I'll work out my issues with Paul and the family later. I've been tearing apart the internet for another lead on a Human Creation, but nothing solid came up."

Nefertia firmly placed herself between the human and Cat Creation. Both looked sharply at her, slightly indignant.

"Well, the important part is that you tried. If you could please leave while I'm doing this, that would be fantastic," the canine gently ordered.

Toto flew in and landed on the altar.

"Why can't she stay? She knows how to be quiet."

Haru quirked an eyebrow at Baron, wondering what was going on. He caught the question.

"If the marble Creation from your myth did exist at one point, Nefertia knows how to contact her spirit, and possibly gain a lead on what to do next."

Haru blinked, and stood up; still not touching the altar from unpleasant childhood memories.

"If I'm a distraction, I can start walking back to the manor."

"It's a bit risky for a young lady to travel in a strange city by herself," Baron pointed out, working up the courage to volunteer to escort her home. Nefertia growled at the Cat Creation.

"Don't get me wrong, Haru; I think you're a great human. But you are a very big distraction for Baron, and he needs to focus."

The brunette lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I'm a distraction for him?"

Baron actually blushed, making the canine growl again in frustration. Haru sighed and held up her hands in a defeated gesture.

"I know; you have a job to do. I'll wait outside. If you do contact her, could you ask her what her name was?"

Nefertia nodded in irritation as the girl started maneuvering her way out of the ruins, leaving the dark boy on the ground where she knocked him unconscious.

"Baron, stop playing with fire. You know you can't have her."

The orange cat glared at her.

"Please allow _me_ to worry about my personal life. I thought you wanted to contact the dead."

Nefertia nodded, and looked upwards, to see if the sun was directly overhead. If they were trying to contact the soul of a regular person or animal, they would have needed to wait until midnight, but to contact the Human Creation…

The dark dog's eyes began to fade as she started speaking in her native tongue, the words and symbols flying faster and faster out of her mouth.

The altar began to glow mystically and to groan. A face came out of the top of the altar, but was still part of it. One couldn't tell very many details about what the face looked like in life. The face groaned as all the Creations gathered around it; Muta gone with Haru since he couldn't really contribute and he often felt left out of the Creation circle.

"Why… have I been disturbed?" the face asked sleepily. Nefertia took charge, as she was doing more and more often.

"Were you born of marble in life?"

"I… was. My husband made me, out of loneliness."

Baron stepped closer.

"The time is nearly at hand, and we need you."

The face sighed.

"My time upon the earth has long been played out." She seemed to sniff the air as a soft smile came on her lips. "But I am not the only human with Creation blood. My heir is near, and must accept the birthright of the Creation order."


	9. The Human Creation's Heir

Extra

Chapter Nine: The Human Creation's Heir

Haru was standing just outside the rubble, sitting on a long bench with Muta right next to her so she could scratch his ears. She sighed sadly, making the fat cat look up at her.

"Don't worry, Chicky. They haven't completely explained to _me_ what's going on either."

She smiled at her fat friend.

"Whatever it is has to be important, to raise all this fuss."

Muta looked up at her, wondering something.

"Is it bad luck to touch the altar or something? You could have gotten up better if you had leaned on it," he asked curiously.

Haru laughed a little uneasily.

"It's not bad luck, but something really weird happened last time I felt that altar, and it's probably better that I don't touch it."

"What happened?"

"Well, my Greek family loves this particular temple dearly, and they always take me here at least twice each time I visit. When I was ten, I put my hand on it, and got burned."

Muta stared at her.

"As in, blister burn?"

"Sort of. My hand was red for a month, but when other people touched it right after me, they didn't notice anything wrong. So I just don't touch it."

Muta put his paws on her lap, so she could scratch him better.

"Sounds like a good precaution to me."

Haru smiled at him, but then nearly doubled over in pain. Muta leaned back, surprised.

"What's wrong?"

"I think lunch is disagreeing with me," she moaned, falling off of the bench in her discomfort, curling into a fetal position. Muta hopped off and started rubbing her shoulder.

"Hang in there, Chicky! I'll get Baron-" his paw fell _through_ her shoulder to the solid ground beneath her body. He stared in horror as the human began to disappear, her tears falling to the ground. And she was gone.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"What do you mean 'heir'?" Lilu asked, confused. The face laughed.

"I mean that I had a child with my husband. We were killed before our son grew up, but our son came back to this temple often. As had his descendants, ever since. All of them have been completely human. But over the past few years, I have been visited by one girl that has the potential to take my place in the order. Her family could see the signs, and hoped to gain power through her. Or, more to the point, the one controlling the family wanted her potential power. Luckily, she inherited my husband's stubborn spirit, and refuses to let anyone control her."

Baron's mind twitched violently, and his mouth dropped open.

"_Haru_?"

"Names have no meaning for the dead. But this is the girl."

The stone shuddered, and a figure rose from the stone while still a part of it. Although her body and clothes were now the same color and texture as the altar, the other Creations could tell that it was the brunette. Her eyes were wide and unrecognizing, like she had never been anything but stone. Her body was curled on one side in a crescent around the Creation's face.

"She will revolt, if I just change her into her Creation form and force her to give up her mortal life, so I will need a moment to speak with my granddaughter, several generations removed. I am certain she will have many questions for me." With that, the face and girl dissolved back into the altar. Muta suddenly rounded the corner of a larger boulder, gasping horribly.

"Baron… Haru's… disappeared!"

The orange cat couldn't say anything. He couldn't even think; his mind completely numb with shock.

'_I guess that explains why the myth came so easily to her mind.'_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru took a big breath, wondering how she had fallen asleep. The ground she was lying on was covered with lush grass, better than even the Cat Kingdom's. A soft hand touched her shoulder, shaking it gently.

"Time to wake up, dear heart. There are some things you need to know."

The brunette grinned and stretched a bit before opening her eyes.

"Good morning-agh! You're not my mom!" She jumped away from the woman leaning over her, with wide fearful eyes.

The woman looked just like her, except her eyes and hair were as black as obsidian, and the woman's hair was longer and put up in a traditional Greek style. Even her clothes and sandals were of a Greek style that had been unseen for at least a millennium. The woman smiled.

"No, I'm not your mother. I'm your grandmother, several centuries removed. We aren't in your world, if that's what you're wondering."

Haru blinked, and looked around. They were in a huge grassy field, and the sky overhead was a more piercing blue than was possible in the human world. The brunette got to her feet, now noticing that she was dressed like the woman.

"Okay, Grandma; what's going on?"

The woman smiled again, and held out her hand. Feeling strangely calm and trusting, she took the hand. Her grandmother started walking down the hill with her.

"Tell me; what do you know of Creations, child?"

Haru blinked.

"Whenever someone creates something with all their hopes and dreams, the creation is given a soul."

The woman smiled again.

"Good. Anything else?"

"Well, I've met four Creations so far; a cat one, a dog one, a reptile one, and a bird one. They said they needed a human one, but they were in too big of a hurry to say why."

The woman grinned even wider.

"That's an excellent foundation to start with." She turned to the flat ground in front of them, and walked over to a stone bench, where some small toys were lying. She picked them up, and presented them to her granddaughter. Looking at them, Haru could see that they were the animals she had named, along with a human one. Grandma started placing them apart from each other on the ground.

"There are five kingdoms, child. You have named what resides in each. But there is another kingdom that isn't quite recognized, since it can only ever have five residents." Having placed all of the toys on the ground, she stood back and looked at her granddaughter. "What does this remind you of?"

Haru looked at it, only seeing a box with five sides. Or…

"If you drew lines between them, it would look like a star." Was there something significant about that?


	10. The Creation Order

Extra

Chapter Ten: The Creation Order

The woman nodded, smiling proudly.

"In the middle of all those lines is the Creation Kingdom. Any from the other kingdoms can make a Creation, but only humans ever felt the passion to make one. I do not say that to put down the other kingdoms, but that is the way things are. Now, each kingdom has an element and a sense that's directly linked to their representative." She took Haru by the hand and started walking around the star. The black-haired woman pointed at the cat toy.

"The Cat Kingdom's representative is linked with plant life and hearing. That means that he is probably born of something grown, and he can control other plant life, if he concentrates hard enough, and he understands what they try to tell him. Hearing means that he can more easily hear what the heart wants to say, if one cannot express it correctly."

'_Yep, that's Baron.'_

"The Dog Kingdom's representative is linked with the earth and smelling. She can manipulate most rocks and soils to her liking, if she wishes, and she can more easily sniff the truth out of a lie, as well as find out what people on the other side of the hill are having for lunch. She can also hear what the earth tries to say. The Reptile Kingdom is linked with water and taste, and can do the same things with them that the other representatives can do with theirs. If she wanted to, she could make a tidal wave or draw moisture closer to anywhere she wants."

Haru got a little ahead of her grandmother and pointed to the next toy in line.

"Birds get air, right?"

The woman nodded with a smile.

"And?"

Haru thought hard, seeing a subtle pattern in how senses and elements were being matched up.

"Sight?"

The woman beamed, and hugged the brunette proudly. They moved to the last toy.

"Can you make a guess as to what the humans have?"

Haru looked at the toy, trying to finish out the puzzle.

'_Five senses…' _"Humans have touch, and…"

Her ancestor nodded encouragingly, hoping that she would get it right. Haru looked at the other toys, running the elements through her head.

'_Plants, earth, water, air…'_

"Fire," she whispered, somehow knowing that it was the right answer. Her grandmother embraced her warmly and kissed her cheek.

"That's right. The Creation Kingdom is in the middle. That Kingdom represents life and mind, but those areas of expertise can only be accessed if all five Creations are present. Do you know why I'm telling you all of this?"

The brunette looked at her ancestor carefully. She shook her head, making the woman sigh.

"With how well you knew the order, I guess I can't get too disappointed about having to show you this." The woman smiled prettily, and wrapped one arm around her own waist. She extended the other hand towards her granddaughter lovingly as light began to glow from within her, making Haru cover her eyes in order to protect them.

The light faded, so the brunette lowered her arms. She stared in amazement as her mouth dropped open a little. For where her grandmother was standing, there was now an exquisite marble statue. Experimentally, Haru brushed her fingers against the ones extended to her. Cool marble soaked in her warmth, the pale color of the stone being somewhere between a light gray and a light blue. She looked into the eyes, which had previously been as dark as night.

"You're Pygmalion's bride!"

The marble began to glow, making her shut her eyes again as her ancestor resumed her state of flesh.

"That's right. In life, I was the Human Creation, whose duty was to be in the order at the time of need. But I had been made with love, from a wonderful man that was frustrated with not finding the right girl. I fell for him, and agreed to be his wife. But doing so ensured my death."

Haru's heart began to beat faster.

"But… if you're my grandma, several generations removed…then…"

The woman looked at her sadly.

"I hope you're not scared of eternity, like I was."

Haru started breathing harshly, now a little scared.

"But, how can I be a Creation? I had a childhood, I change, I grow."

The Creation sighed, and took her descendant's hands.

"Child, I know this must be difficult for you to take in, but you need to listen; there is an old evil on this planet. Each Creation born knows what signs to look for in the stars, for them to gather, at a special place, in order to defeat this evil. A time that is nearly at hand."

Haru looked down at her feet.

"At this point, you only have the potential to become a Creation. Do you have any unique abilities, something that no one else seems to have?"

"Well, I can talk to cats."

"You can talk to dogs too, and all the other members of the other kingdoms. I'm betting that your mother hasn't really let you be around animals, or any fire, for that matter."

Haru jerked, remembering the whispers she would hear whenever an open flame was present, and how drawn she always was to it.

"She said that she just doesn't like animals or fire."

"She was under orders to. Is there a man, outside the family, that seems to have everyone under his thumb, except maybe you?"

"Sure, Paul. But I'm not going through what he wants from me."

"Good. Because he's the evil you and all the other Creations need to fight against. I should know; he killed my husband in order to have me, but in doing so killed me as well, since my life was linked with my husband's."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Muta growled irritably.

"Just how long is she going to keep Haru?!"

Lilu patted his ear comfortingly.

"As long as she needs to. Don't worry; the girl's ancestor knows about the rush we're in."

Nefertia was staring off into space dumbly, her mouth still open in shock. Toto was shaking his head, a light smile on his beak.

"I guess this explains how she knew Lilu was a Creation. But how could we have missed this?"

Baron was leaning against the altar, lost in his own thoughts. The brunette had been dominating his mind ever since they met, and he had somehow known that she was special. He knew that her being a possible Creation fledgling had nothing to do with the way his heart pounded when he heard her voice.

'_This means… that, if I wanted to… we might have a chance for a relationship! That is, __**if**__ she accepts the responsibility. But it would be a pretty big sacrifice on her part.' _His soul was in turmoil, realizing all that she would have to give up for him, if she was even willing to do it. But, oh, how he was now praying that she would accept her birthright. The _centuries_ they could spend…

Together.

The boy Haru had been with began to move around, groaning terribly.


	11. The Foretold Evil

Extra

Chapter Eleven: The Foretold Evil

Toto took off into the air as Muta ran out of the enclosure and the three remaining Creations took their place behind the altar.

They heard the dark-haired man sit up slowly, a growl replacing his groan.

"Oh, no you don't," he hissed as he stood up. The enclosure seemed to get darker, as the man grew louder. "I have spent the last four millenniums to ensure that you would be born, and I will not let you walk away from me now! I don't give a care who the other boy is; I will wring his identity from you, and spend the next few centuries eating him and making you watch! If you weren't the Creation's heir, I wouldn't have even felt the punch!"

Even from behind the altar, the Creations could clearly see his large black wings open up, like a giant bat's.

"I'll find you, Haru! I've waited too long for a warm immortal bride to let you go now! You may be immune to my powers, but I _will_ have you!" The wings beat downwards, sending a now terrible creature into the air; one that had been wearing the same clothes as the boy.

Baron watched the creature change completely into a bat before flying away, crying madly. His heart lay cold in his chest, having read about a creature that could change into a bat.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru was pacing the small valley, unable to keep a giggle from escaping her throat.

"Come on, Grandma; Paul can't be a vampire! He has a tan! He loves garlic!"

The Human Creation watched her granddaughter walk back and forth, her face dark and grave.

"I don't know what garlic has to do with anything concerning the undead, but he has long had a charm to protect him from the effects of the sun. Any he bites becomes under his control."

"But if that's true, how come he didn't just bite me?"

"I'm betting that he has already done it, when you were a child and didn't understand what he was doing. That's probably how he knew you were my heir; Creations are immune to his powers. That's why we are the best chance against him."

Haru kept pacing along the long soft grass, trying to figure out what her grandmother was telling her.

Come to think of it, it didn't really didn't matter how far back she remembered; he always looked like he was maybe twenty one. Even when he used to put her on his lap, and tickle her feet, when she was only three.

Her eyes widened.

"Okay, so Paul's a vampire. I'll buy that, but why did he preside over my family for all these years when he could pick any girl and have a girl vampire for a bride?"

"He became bored with undead wives, and he hated how cold they were. He let a few live; since they were warm, but they soon grew old and lost their beauty. When he heard about the sculptor that had a living statue for a bride, he decided that I would be the perfect balance between warm and immortal. He had brought you to the temple to change you into a Creation, and marry you. No one in your family would have protested, since he had bitten them all when they were young, so he has complete control over them."

Haru sighed.

"But if I become a Creation, can I and the others really take him down?"

The ancestor nodded, her eyes bright with long-known anger.

"You must. For if he succeeds with his plan with you, he will fill the earth with half-dead demons with the power of a Creation. But you must never let that happen."

Haru shuddered.

"Believe me; I would rather kill myself than let that jerk touch me."

The raven-haired woman shook her head, sighing sadly.

"That won't do any good; he'll just keep the family around until another girl with the potential is born. There have been other descendants with the potential throughout the long years, but they killed themselves before submitting to Paul's touch. The terror _must_ end, before Paul finds his immortal bride. Child, I can tell that you're bright. You must think outside your normal boundaries, look for any weaknesses that you can use against him."

The brunette smiled.

"It looks like I've made my decision."

Her grandmother looked at her sadly.

"You realize you can never return to your mortal life, if you choose to enter the order?"

Haru smiled even bigger.

"Yes. But I can think of one very good reason to become a Creation. And he's enough."

The woman smiled, although she wasn't sure who the mysterious 'he' was, and held her palms up. They began to glow with a piercing white fire. Haru raised her hands to meet her ancestor's, but hesitated.

"In case I can't ask later, what is your name?"

Her grandmother smiled affectionately.

"Love. My husband named me Love."

Haru looked at her, and smiled.

"It suits you."

Their hands met.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Baron stopped pacing as a white light flooded the temple ruins again. Everyone looked over at the altar expectantly, Toto swiping at Muta so that he would wake up from his nap.

From the cold gray stone, a marble statue sprang up; it was a girl with her hands in front of her like feeling a wall. Her eyes were wide and surprised, as her entire body exited the altar, until she was completely free of the stone and only standing on the altar. She stayed like that a moment, before her skin glowed, and became pink and soft. The young woman stumbled a bit, sinking down onto the altar so she wouldn't fall off. She kept blinking her dark brown eyes, and smiling at her fellow Creations. The brunette towered over them, still being at human height.

"Looks like we have all the players now."

Baron stepped forward, a worried expression on his face.

"How do you feel, Haru?"

She got off the altar and stretched; not that surprised that she was still in the traditional Greek dress in her favorite shade of light blue, or that her hair had grown out enough to put into a style similar to her grandmother's. The brunette felt strange. She wasn't hungry or tired, although she should have been both. She could feel the coldness of the stone under her hands, but it didn't bother her at all.

"Actually, I feel great! So, when do we leave?"

Nefertia broke free from her silent shock.

"So, you know what's at stake?"

"Yeah. Grandma explained." She held a hand close to her face, and concentrated. A small ball of white fire came to life in her hand. Baron twitched, remembering what he had been born from. Haru noticed his nervousness and clenched her fist to douse the flame.

Toto jerked uncomfortably.

"The battleground's halfway across the world, and I was barely able to get everyone here without Haru. How are we going to do this?!"


	12. The Vampire's Wrath

Extra

Chapter Twelve: The Vampire's Wrath

Paul entered the family home, growling terribly and looking for a certain redhead. Having found her, he delivered a punch so powerful that it sent the human flying out the window, while it was still closed. The vampire turned from the broken glass, not caring what the authorities would think about the woman's broken body. He was too angry to even think about all that good blood going to waste.

He hadn't been able to find Haru, and he blamed her mother for not keeping her under control. Who knew where the girl would be now?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru blinked. Drat, she should have thought of this. The brunette knew better than to try traveling like she was still a mortal, for the way she was dressed if nothing else. She sat back down on the altar to think, Baron hopping up in order to sit next to her.

"But you're sure you're fine?"

The brunette had to smile at his concern.

"Even better than when I was mortal; don't worry."

Nefertia hopped onto the stone and glared at Muta.

"I bet the girl weighs the same as the fat cat. Maybe if we leave him here-"

"Oh, no you don't! I'm coming with, and that's final!"

Lilu shook her head as she trailed up Haru's arm; Toto struggling to stay focused away from the upcoming fight. Lilu rubbed her head against Haru's, immediately liking the girl.

But the brunette's mind was far from the temple. She was seeing the grassy plain, and the star her grandmother had made. But without the specific lines to make it a star, it looked more like a circle. Did Love do that on purpose?

"I wonder," she whispered, getting the Cat and Reptile Creations to stare at her. Haru started concentrating again, even harder than when she made the fireball; her eyes locked on Toto.

Muta raised his fist to try to hit Nefertia again, but stopped; staring at Haru. The dark dog turned to see what the problem was, and her jaw dropped.

The new Human Creation had started sprouting feathers, near the same color as her hair, and her limbs were shifting around to resemble a bird's as she shrunk a bit. After a few minutes, the transformation was complete, and a fairly big hawk was sitting in her place; Lilu now on her back. Haru blinked a few times.

"It worked?" She extended one wing to look at it. Toto was staring at her, wondering if she had always been _that_ cute.

"Haru, how did you do that?!"

She gave a strange shrug.

"Grandma said to think outside the boundaries, and the way she explained the orders got me to thinking that we can lend strength to each other, and take on the forms of the other kingdoms. At least this makes one less person for you to carry."

Nefertia howled in frustration.

"You must be joking?! The _newbie's_ the one that figures this out?!"

Baron already started shifting into a golden hawk similar to Haru.

"We don't have much time! Start shifting!" He pecked the girl hawk affectionately as Lilu became a peregrine falcon, and Nefertia a raven.

"This is quite an interesting discovery you've made. I'll be looking forward to playing with this ability." Being a bird, he couldn't tell if she was blushing, but Haru smiled happily, and pecked him back before Toto gave them a crash course (pardon the pun) on flying.

"Okay; people _will_ notice if different races of birds fly together, so we need to be separate enough so that we don't draw attention, but we can still see each other. Birds can see farther, so this shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Where are we going?" Haru asked as the crow picked up Muta, being used to his weight.

"The Pacific Ocean. There's a special island waiting for us, where mortals can't get involved with what we're doing."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It took all of Haru's willpower to keep her focus on Toto instead of how the wind rustled through her feathers. Baron was a bit closer to her than the original Bird Creation would have liked, but they looked fairly similar, and Toto knew better than to try to tell Baron to back off.

"Toto's been holding out!" the golden hawk called out to her. "Flying was plenty of fun when _he_ did all the work, but it's far more enjoyable when _you're_ the one with wings."

She laughed, agreeing with him as Toto started downward, to a specific island that was too small to be of any use to islanders. True, if they were ordinary birds, they would have passed out from exhaustion ages ago. But being Creations, all they had to do was shift into their original forms for a few hours of sleep while Muta went fishing.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Paul dropped the last of the family to the ground, licking his lips so as to not waste a single drop. The old family was useless to him, now that Haru was a Creation. He had felt her power and knew that she had to be with the other Creations by now. He would need all the nourishment he could get, in order to take down the other Creations and claim his bride. He opened up one closet and pulled out a worn doll. Pinned in the dark locks was a bit of Haru's hair, cut when she was a child, so he could find her in a hurry.

He picked up the doll, remembering with a wrench the day he had taken it. That time, Haru got her revenge by taking the flame of a candle and pressing it against his pale flesh; which left a decent burn for a month. The five-year-old said that the fire had told her that he was a very bad man, and that it was her duty to kill him.

That was a major component as to why he had expressly told Naoko to never allow her near an open flame again. Earning her trust was hard enough without squealers telling the girl things like that.

The hair dissolved into his hand, and started pulling him insistently in one direction. He jumped through a window while shifting, glad for the cover of night. His powers weren't as impressive under daylight, when he must always think about keeping the anti-sun spell working.

He traveled for twelve hours, without stopping, in order for the tugging to cease. He came to a small island, and could see the Creations lined up. But he was so weak, and the accursed sun had risen again… he had to feed, before claiming Haru. He swept down; grabbing a large fish and pulling it up with more strength than bats were usually seen displaying. He drained that fish of all its life fluids before tossing it aside to hunt for the second course, and to catch a few hours of shut-eye before sunset.


	13. The Grand Finale

Extra

Chapter Thirteen: The Grand Finale

As the bat moved from fish to fish like a parasite, the Creations shifted into their flesh forms and huddled in the trees in order to hide and think of a plan. Muta prudently decided to remove himself from the battlefield, since he would only provide nourishment for the vampire. He was now on the opposite side of the island, although he only left after much grumbling about always being left out of the fun stuff.

Haru shrunk herself to cat height, discovering that she could control what parts of her shifted to the other kingdoms. Baron was holding her hand comfortingly; Nefertia pointedly ignoring their clasped hands.

"Haru; you're the one that knows the most about him. What are his weak points?"

The Human Creation laughed, although the action had a bit of a bite to it.

"His ego, his hair, his clothes, and me. I might be forgetting a few."

Baron's eyes suddenly lit up, and he wrapped both arms around her.

"I think that will be plenty to work with, Haru. If all of you are willing to listen, I believe I have a plan to draw him onto a battleground of our own choosing."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The sun finally set, making the tired bat open his eyes, noting how close the water was to his head. He had found a small cave that he could sleep in, and if his anger wasn't still so hot, he would have considered staying a few more days. Squeaking, he let go of the stalactite and started flying for the entrance, which was marked by the broken reflection of the full moon.

He soared out of the cave, and circled around in order to find the beach the five Creations were at.

But they weren't there. Instead, there was a lone human couple; dancing underneath the light of the full moon. Haru was recognizable, although Paul had hardly ever seen her in a traditional Greek dress, but the man was one he had never seen before. A century before, the vampire wouldn't have been surprised to see a man dressed in a crisp suit the way the man was, but seeing a top hat on a night like this…

The light-haired man led Haru through a dip and twirled her around expertly; the brunette's movements more fluid than Paul had ever seen from her before. Then came the killing moment.

Haru stood on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms around the man's neck in order to kiss him sweetly. The man wrapped one arm more firmly around her waist and brought his other hand to the back of her neck, so as to further the kiss. That was when the vampire knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was the man that had stolen Haru's heart.

If he had blood, Paul was certain that it would be boiling over with savage fury.

Haru was _his_! Hadn't he spent the past four millennia to ensure that she would be born? He had been so cold for so long, and only the Human Creation had a chance of warming his heart and body.

He wanted _children _from Haru. He wanted centuries of holding her close, and savoring her delicious warmth. Paul could love her better than any man, and she could not possibly choose another without risking death.

But, then again, she _was _Love's descendant.

If _he _could not have her, than neither would any other man.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Baron suddenly wrapped both arms around Haru's waist and made a strange jump-twirl into the air; just in time to miss the growing bat that had tried to dive between them. Nefertia, who was hiding in the bushes, made a fist out of the sand in order to grab the bat like a pesky bug. The hand solidified into a solid piece of sandstone as the vampire tried desperately to break free.

Lilu rose from the sea in order to make the next imprisonment. A long ribbon of water came from the salt water to wrap around the rock fist like a ball of yarn.

Toto made a long dive from the sky above, with a lightning bolt in between his claws. He threw the sparking weapon at the water ball, making the undead creature within shriek silently, since the water drowned out his screams.

Haru stepped away from Baron's warm arms stretch her hands out to make the next imprisonment. Her white hot fire heated the water to a terribly high temperature and worked with the lightning as it consumed the vampire's flesh.

Then Baron did his part. The vampire stared with shock as the Cat Creation shifted into his true form, and placed his gloved hands firmly on the ground, glaring at the undead monster. Vines of all kinds sprung up from around the fist; trailing around it as the fire tried to consume it as well; only to make burning ropes of the vines.

'_No! She fell in love with a __**Creation**__?!'_

Paul kept screaming through the blazing hot water as the Creations circled around him, their arms outstretched to each other. Their eyes trailed up to the sky; asking for one last favor from the elements.

The moonlight shone brighter than ever, and came down hard on the blackening object. The Creations spoke as one; their eyes glazed over in concentration.

"Where there is light, darkness cannot rest."

The star of the kingdoms drew itself in the sand with a white light before centering on the vampire, who gave one last shriek before dissolving away into nothingness, in a final burst of light.

The Creations collapsed where they stood, suddenly exhausted beyond measure. They shifted back into their stone and wooden forms, to rest.

From halfway across the island, a palm tree threatened to collapse from the weight of its occupant. Muta humphed; still indignant that he couldn't have been a part of the party.

"I guess it's safe for me to come down now."


	14. A New Destiny

Extra

3

Chapter Fourteen: A New Destiny

Far above Tokyo, a carnival of birds made a spiraling dive towards a specific destination within the city, one devoid of mortal life.

Toto dropped off Muta and claimed his perch on top of the pedestal; affectionately brushing it with one wing. The fat cat ran to the mailbox, which was now overflowing with newspapers and magazines.

"I've really missed home. It feels like we left here centuries ago."

Lilu shifted back into a salamander, looking at the neat houses inside the Refuge. She smiled wryly, looking at the golden hawk as he shifted into his true form.

"It doesn't take much to see who designed the place."

Baron shrugged as he walked over to Haru, to help her regain her balance as her legs regained their original length.

"When you're bored out of your skull, you don't hesitate about building several houses with your bare hands."

Nefertia humphed, eyeing one yellow house near the entrance to the human world.

"Still, with a few adjustments, this could be home."

Haru smiled happily while shifting to cat height, kissing Baron sweetly.

"I've made my adjustment. This is home."

The orange cat smiled warmly, doubting that he would ever be bored again as he wrapped his arms around the love of his life, thrilled beyond words that their love would now have a chance at working.

Oh, the _future _they could now have together…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hiromi groaned as she woke up again, wishing that she could hibernate like a bear. She had taken a job as a waitress after Haru left for Greece, and the light brunette couldn't help but feel sadness.

For a month had passed since Haru walked out of her life. The dark brunette had promised to return by now, and then the young woman saw the blasted story on the T.V.

Having known that Haru's distant relatives were surnamed Thermopolis, Hiromi was horrified to learn that the entire family had been slain, through the most troubling methods. The police still hadn't released the details of how the family had been killed, which only worried her more.

She stumbled down the stairs and to the breakfast table, sinking into a seat.

"Hiromi, could you get the mail, please?" her father asked from behind his newspaper. The young woman groaned, but did as she was told.

With a heavy heart, she slipped some shoes on and went outside, praying that all the hot guys were still asleep, so they wouldn't see her in her bathrobe.

The light brunette flipped the mailbox open, and pulled out the mail to look at it.

"Bill, magazine, advertisement…" her voice trailed off, and her heart sped up. A letter, containing no return address, had her name across the front of it.

And Hiromi knew Haru's handwriting like the back of her hand. Excitedly, she put the other mail under one arm so she could open her letter right there.

_Dear Hiromi,_

_Do you remember what I said, about the man I love being off-limits? Turns out he wasn't. I heard about what happened to my family after I left, and just wanted to let you know that I'm all right, and am happier than I have ever been before. But please understand that there is a good possibility that we may never meet again, face to face. I'll be watching over you, my dear friend._

_With love,_

_Haru._

Hiromi reached up in order to rub the tears away. The letter didn't make much sense to her, but at least her life-long friend was alive, and well.

Suddenly, the young woman looked to her left, and saw a familiar white fat cat looking at her from the stone wall. Beaming, she walked over and scratched his ear.

"If you see Haru anytime soon, tell her I'm glad she's fine, and the best of luck with her boyfriend."

The large feline purred at her, and hopped off the fence to start walking away. Hiromi watched him leave, wondering if there had even been a point in asking the cat to deliver a message.

Strangely, she got an impulse to follow the large white cat. But before she could decide whether or not to act on the impulse, since she was still in her pajamas, the cat disappeared around the bend.

The light brunette sighed, and headed back into her home. Perhaps another time.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Lots of love to; gacktxx, QuickStar, LadyKandaYu, Watersoul the Head Star Walker, Drifting One, Mystical-Maiden, Lanari, EarthGurdian, Rebel of my Destiny, kittydemon18, Lee Totema, camarts13, ducky-sama, asian9090, InkyManpulation, HyperMint, Elvin Magi, Lauramichca, and reddevil1120 for the wonderful reviews. I really appreciate it when people give me feedback on a story, and I hope to hear more from you guys in my other stories, which will be following shortly.

YarningChick


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